Die einmonatige Verwendung eines HEPA-Luftreinigers für zu Hause führt zu einer kleinen, aber deutlichen Verbesserung der Gehirnfunktion bei Erwachsenen ab 40 Jahren. Die Belastung durch Feinstaub wird mit Atemwegs- und Herz-Kreislauf-Erkrankungen sowie neurologischen Erkrankungen wie Alzheimer und Parkinson in Verbindung gebracht.
https://theconversation.com/hepa-air-purifiers-may-boost-brain-power-in-adults-over-40-new-research-280885
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Using an in-home HEPA purifier for one month spurs a small but significant improvement in brain function in adults age 40 and older. That’s the result of a new study we co-authored in the journal Scientific Reports.
HEPA purifiers – HEPA stands for high efficiency particulate air – remove particulate matter from the air. Exposure to particulate matter has been connected to respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses as well as neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Environmental health researchers increasingly recommend that people use HEPA air purifiers in their homes to lower their exposure to particulate matter, but few studies have examined whether using them boosts mental function.
We analyzed data from a study of 119 people ages 30 to 74 living in Somerville, Massachusetts. Somerville sits along Interstate 93 and Route 28, two major highways, resulting in relatively high levels of traffic-related air pollution. This makes it an especially good location for testing the health effects of air purifiers.
We randomly assigned participants to one of two groups. One used a HEPA air purifier for one month and then a sham air purifier – which looked and acted like the real thing but did not contain the air-cleaning filter – for one month, with a monthlong break in between. The second group used the real and sham purifiers in reverse order.
After each month, participants took a test that measured different aspects of their mental capacity. The test probed people’s visual memory and motor speed skills by measuring how quickly they could draw lines between sequential numbers, and it tested executive function and mental flexibility by asking them to draw lines between alternating sequential numbers and letters.
We found that participants 40 years and older – about 42% of our sample – on average completed the section testing for mental flexibility and executive function 12% faster after using the HEPA purifier than after using the sham purifier. That was true even when we accounted for factors like differences in the amount of time participants spent indoors, with either filter, as well as how stressful they found the test.
This improvement may seem small, but it is similar to the cognitive benefits that people experience from increasing their daily exercise. While you may not experience a sudden increase in clarity from a 12% boost, preventing cognitive decline is vital for long-term well-being. Even small decreases in cognitive functioning may be associated with a higher risk of death.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-48063-8
This tracks with studies showing improved educational performance when HEPA filters were installed in schools.
The initial experiment was completely unplanned. A school system in the US was in an area impacted by some kind of pollution or environmental hazard (I can’t remember the specifics) that resulted in HEPA filters being installed. Later they noticed an improvement in results for the students at the schools with the HEPA filters.
https://corsirosenthalfoundation.org/
I guess this is a bit of a sidenote but it’s how you can make some of the best purifiers you can get anywhere, at home.
Corsi-Rosenthal boxes get a greater Cubic Feet Per Minute rating (CFM) than most air purifiers meaning the time it takes before a particle in the air is passed through the filter is lower.
That said these boxes are not very pretty, but they are very cheap and effective.
So the filter I have at home is the Philips Pureprotect 4200 Pro, which are „good looking“ and extremely quiet. I got my first one a year ago and another one a month ago. You can really see the difference if you light a strong flashlight in a dark room now, there’s just almost zero particles in front of the beam after I got the filters. I go outside and use the same flashlight at night and i see thousands of particles in front of me.
I got them after I got asthma but as someone with pollen allergies I really wish I got these a decade or two ago because they’ve basically turned my home in to a sanctuary.
Buy a small air quality measuring device. Put it near the kitchen. Turn it on when you’re cooking anything. See for yourself why you should have an air purifier in your house or at least in or around your kitchen.
That’s interesting, especially since air quality isn’t something people usually connect with brain health..
Read „Murderland“ by Caroline Fraser if you want to know more about air pollution and brain function…. her book is more about brain disfunction but, net is, air pollution is very bad for human brains, especially lead particulates.
I live in a high rise in Singapore and keep the doors and windows open all day and sleep with the windows open. Do I need to bother?
Was anybody able to determine how _much_ air filtering was needed? Filtering the air in a small apparement vs. a large house have very different demands…
Anyone considering buying an air filter in this tread should check out the recent reviews by Project Farm on YouTube. He tested a reasonable sample of them and the results might help with making a more informed purchase. Just google Project Farm and Air Filter.
Does that include pollen? Or mostly other particles
ok but what if you open the window
This study is naked p hacking.
The original study registration was focused on measuring changes in blood pressure and CRP. There is no mention of the trail making test whatsoever.
Why is this important? Because if you don’t prespecify a test, it allows you to administer many tests and cherry pick the ones with results you like.
In this analysis of the trail making test results, they actually find no effect at all of HEPA filtration.
Then they arbitrarily slice the data into <40 years and >=40 years, and split the test results into parts A and B, and see a ’significant‘ 12% ‚benefit‘ of HEPA filtration only in those >=40 on trail making test part B, only. Again, there is no mention of any of this in the registration.
This is the definition of p hacking. It’s so brazen as to be unbelievable.
Like I have five of them in my house. Two in the living room, one in the kitchen, one in the bathroom, one in the bedroom. I used to blow my nose everyday at least 10 times and to the point in which tissues are too rough and the only thing I could blow my nose with was Charmin ultra soft. Now I don’t have to blow my nose and I can think more clearly
What are some good hepa purifiers?